The present invention generally relates to a connector for connecting circuit boards oriented at an angle to one another and more particularly relates to an electrical connector that connects a backplane board and a daughter card in close proximity to one another.
In certain computer applications, such as telecommunications computer systems, large printed circuit boards called backplane boards are retained within a computer cabinet and are electrically connected to several smaller printed circuit boards called daughter cards. The terms xe2x80x9cboardxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccardxe2x80x9d are used interchangeably throughout. In the telecommunications industry, by way of example only, daughter cards carry processing programs that allow the backplane board to route information. Optionally, parallel rows of daughter cards are oriented at an angle, such as acutely or perpendicularly, to the backplane board. The common parallel alignment of multiple daughter cards is, in part, due to the need to afford a space-efficient and good signal quality connection with the backplane. A right-angle electrical connector connects the daughter cards to the backplane board at a perpendicular orientation.
FIGS. 6-8 illustrate a conventional right angle electrical connector that has a receptacle housing 204 (FIG. 6) and a header housing 230 (FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 6, receptacle contacts 270, retained in the receptacle housing 204, have compliant pins 206 that extend from a first end 208 of the receptacle housing 204. The compliant pins 206 are received in apertures in the backplane board (not shown). Parallel slots 210 located at a second end 214 of the receptacle housing 204 extend into receptacle channels 218 within the receptacle housing 204. The receptacle channels 218 are separated by divider walls 222 and enclosed by side walls 226.
As shown in FIG. 7, the header housing 230 has a box-shaped first chamber 234 that retains plate contacts 238 which are aligned parallel to each other. The plate contacts 238 are enclosed by top, bottom, and side walls 242, 246, and 250. As shown in FIG. 8, the header housing 230 is formed with first and second chambers 234 and 254, and the plate contacts 238 extend through both the first and second chambers 234 and 254. The plate contacts 238 include a blade portion 239 held proximate a rear end 262 of the first chamber 234, and compliant pins 266 that extend from the second chamber 254 in a direction perpendicular to the blade portion 239. The compliant pins 266 of the header housing 230 are received in apertures in a daughter card 280 and connected to electrical traces (not shown) in the daughter card 280. The compliant pins 206 of the receptacle housing 204 are received in apertures in a backplane board 281 and connected to electrical traces (not shown) in the backplane board 281.
In operation, the header housing 230 is connected to the receptacle housing 204 such that the first chamber 234 of the header housing 230 receives the second end 214 of the receptacle housing 204 as the receptacle channels 218 (FIG. 6) in the receptacle housing 204 receive the plate contacts 238 in the first chamber 234 of the header housing 230. Thus, the compliant pins 266 of the header housing 230 are oriented perpendicularly to the compliant pins 206 of the receptacle housing 204, and the daughter card 280 is oriented perpendicularly to the backplane board 281. As the plate contacts 238 enter the receptacle channels (FIG. 6) of the receptacle housing 204, the plate contacts 238 engage the receptacle contacts 270 within the receptacle housing 204 such that the compliant pins 206 and 266 of the receptacle and header housings 204 and 230 are electrically connected. The compliant pins 106 may transmit power to the compliant pins 266, or vice versa.
However, the typical right angle electrical connector suffers from several drawbacks. The header housing takes up a great deal of space within the cabinet. Because the receptacle housing is received in a first chamber that is connected to the backplane board through a second chamber, the header housing distances the daughter card from the backplane board by a space equal to the length of the first chamber. In the example of FIGS. 6-7, this spacing equals the length of the first chamber 234. Because the daughter cards are spaced apart from the backplane board by this distance, smaller backplane boards and daughter cards may be positioned in a given cabinet. Thus, conventional right angle electrical connectors limit the space efficiency of a computer system. Additionally, because of the great distance between the backplane board and the daughter cards, the current flowing therebetween must travel across a long path and thus induces high inductance. The high inductance results in slow and inefficient power transmission between the backplane board and the daughter cards.
A need remains for an electrical connector that overcomes the above problems and addresses other concerns experienced in the prior art.
Certain embodiments of the present invention include an electrical connector for joining circuit boards oriented at an angle to one another and in close proximity to one another. A header housing with a bottom wall and a side wall. The bottom wall includes a lower face configured to adjoin a first circuit board and an opposed upper face. The first housing has a plate contact extending upward from the upper face. The plate contact is configured to electrically communicate through the bottom wall with the first circuit board. The electrical connector includes a receptacle housing having a rear wall configured to adjoin a second circuit board and a receptacle channel formed in the receptacle housing. The receptacle channel securely receives a receptacle contact that extends along a longitudinal axis and is configured to electrically communicate through the rear wall with the second circuit board. The receptacle channel opens onto front and lower faces of the receptacle housing to define front and lower slots in the front and lower faces, respectively. The plate contact is inserted through the front and lower slots when the header and receptacle housings are joined to retain the circuit boards closely adjacent one another.